Cable element support



Sept. 18, 1962 R. P. KIRKUP CABLE ELEMENT SUPPORT 1166. Sept. 26, 1955 ATTORNEY State ilic The present invention relates to supports such as brackets of the cable clamping type, and, more particularly, to an improved device of such character which is primarily adapted for supporting heat or fire detecting cable elements in vehicles or craft operated at high speed.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide such a support which is adapted for securement against a wall, bulkhead or other structure and occupies a minimum of space when so secured.

Another object is to provide such -a support which is rugged in construction and can withstand high temperatures and vibrations without losing its effectiveness.

Another object is to provide such a support which is readily manipulated to mount the cable elements in a quick and convenient manner.

A further object is to provide such a support which is simple in construction and economical to manufacture.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view illustrating one form of cable element support mounted on a wall and supporting a heat or fire detecting element, the support being shown about four times its actual size.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 on FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view illustrating another form of cable element support, enlarged about four times actual size.

'FIG. 4 is a side view of the support shown in FIG. 3, illustrating the same mounted on a wall.

Referring to the drawing in detail, there is shown a cable element support which essentially comprises a base 10, a clamp 11 foldably connected to the base by hinge structure 12, for example, and cooperating means for securing the clamp on the base in cable element gripping position as described hereinafter.

The base includes a substantially flat thin end section 14 adapted to lie against a wall 15 or the like and being formed with an opening 16 for receiving a screw 17 or the like for securing the base to the wall, a concave, generally semi-circular end section 19 facing outwardly with respect to the wall having its inner surface closely adjacent the wall, and a substantially flat thin intermediate section 20 off-set outwardly and parallel with respect to the end section 14 and formed centrally located with aperture means which will be described with specific references to the two embodiments of the present invention shown in the drawing. The sections 14 and 20 are connected by a thin wall section 18.

The clamp includes a concave, generally semi-circular end section 21 facing inwardly with respect to the wall and cooperating with the end section 19 to encompass a generally cylindrical tubular cushioning element 22 encircling a heat or fire detecting cable element 24, and a fiat end section 25 formed with a central aperture 26 adapted to overlie the aperture means of the base section 20 and be placed in registry therewith.

The hinge structure 12 is of conventional design and includes cooperating curled tabs 29 and 30 on the base and clamp end sections 19 and 21, respectively, which are hinged together by a pin 31. Preferably, a tight fit is provided between the tabs 29 and the pin 31, and between the tab 30 and the pin 31 whereby the hinge is stiff and the clamp may be frictionally held in the posi- 5 tions shown by broken lines in FIGS. 2 and 4 to provide an upwardly facing open through for loosely supporting the cable element prior to clamping the same therein. This enables the cable element to be temporarily mounted and bent to accurately follow any desired path before finally securing the same in position. Another feature is that the clamp section 25 serves as a lever to provide a mechanical advantage in compressing the cushioning element 22 to mount the same more securely.

The support structure so far described is common to both embodiments shown in the drawing.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the aperture means of the elf-set intermediate base section 20 includes an apertured depending protuberance 32 formed with internal screw threads, and the aperture 26 in the flat clamp end section 25 has the shank of an element such as a screw 34 extending therethrough preferably mounted for rotation and held captive therein. This screw has a slotted head 39 for receiving a screw driver and is formed with screw threads on the shank thereof adapted to cooperate with the threads of the protuberance to secure the clamp against the base as shown with a of client.

The support structure shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 difiers from that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in two respects. The off-set section 20 of the base is dished in the course of stamping the base from a sheet of metal to provide the same with reinforcing flanges 35 at the sides which terminate at the plane in which the flat end section 14 is disposed. Also, the clamp securing means difiers in that the aperture means of the offset section includes two protruding cam segments 36 on the perimeter of the aperture and facing the wall 15, and an element 37 is loosely mounted in the aperture 26 and is held captive therein by a slotted head 39 and two radially extending projections 40. The end of the element having the protuberances 40 may be passed freely through the aperture means in the onset section and upon rotation the protuberances 40 engage the cam segments 36 to draw the clamp against the base upon rotation of the element. This is readily accomplished by inserting a screw driver blade into the slot of the head and giving the head a slight turn. The advantages of this embodiment are that the base is more rugged, the shank of the element is fully enclosed and securement of .the clamp to the base or removal -there from, can be effected more rapidly.

In both embodiments described herein, the oif-set section provides a space for the shank of the fastening screw 34 or the element 37 between the base 10 and the wall 15 without causing the support to be unduly enlarged, whereby the support is compact and is mounted flush against the wall to occupy a minimum of space.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention provides an improved support for heat or fire detecting cable elements, which is novel and useful.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illusra-tive and not in any limiting sense.

-I claim:

1. A heat detecting cable element support for craft having fiat wall portions, said support comprising an oblong base having 'a thin flat upper end section adapted to lie against the wall and formed with an aperture for receiving fastening means for securing said end section to the wall, said base having a thin outwardly dished intermediate section below said end section provided with an opening, said base having thin side flanges coextensive with said sections and formed with a free edge arranged to lie against the wall together with said end section, and said base having a thin concave generally semi-circular lower end section below said intermediate section formed with a lower end extending outwardly from the plane in which the edges of said flanges are disposed, said sections and said flanges all having substantially equal thicknws; a clamp having a concave generally semi-circular lower end section adapted to cooperate with said lower end section of said base for receiving a cable element and having a fiat section above its lower end section adapted to overlie said intermediate section and formed with an opening adapted to register with said opening of said intermediate section; the lower ends of said base and said clamp being formed with cooperating hinge means for foldably connecting said clamp to said base; and cooperating means associated with said openings for releasably securing said flat section of said clamp against said intermediate section.

2. A heat detecting cable element support for craft having fiat wall portions, said support comprising a base having a thin flat upper section disposed in a plane to lie against the wall and formed with an aperture for receiving fastening means for securing said end section to the wall, said base having a thin substantially fiat intermediate section adjacent said upper section provided with an opening and spaced outwardly from said upper section and disposed in a plane substantially parallel to aoeasse said upper section, said base having a thin wall section connecting said upper section and said intermediate section, and said base having a thin concave generally semicircular lower section extending from said intermediate section downwardly and inwardly toward the plane in which said upper section is disposed and thence downwardly and outwardly toward the plane in which said intermediate section is disposed, said sections all having substantially equal thickness; a clamp having a concave generally semi-circular lower section adapted to cooperate with said lower section of said base for receiving a cable element and having a flat section above its lower section adapted to overlie said intermediate section and formed with an opening adapted to register with said opening of said intermediate section; cooperating hinge means for foldably connecting said clamp to said base at the lower ends of said base and clamp; and cooperating means associated with said openings for releasably securing said flat setcion of said clamp against said intermediate section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 19,386 Hand et a1. Nov. 27, 1934 1,030,200 Miller June 18, 1912 1,226,968 Guenther May 22, 1917 1,527,346 Brady Feb. 24, 1925 2,281,455 Powell Apr. 28, 1942 2,525,447 Clark Oct. 10, 1950 2,643,428 Jenne June 30, 1953 

